Protective structure for artwork

ABSTRACT

The current invention relates to protective structures for artwork and more particularly, to a structure that protects flat artwork when being moved from one display site to another. The device, or “art crib”, comprises a plurality of interconnected piping material that encases the piece of art and protects it from crushing, denting and other damage. Paintings may be slipped into the crib through the open top and secured with pivoting closures if desired. The crib also can serve as easily identified storage for the decorative pieces that must be moved repeatedly from warehouse to site and back to warehouse again, thus reducing exposure to damage from repeated handling. The crib uniquely combines the virtues of strength, light weight, durability, visibility and adaptability that fill the needs of home stagers, interior designers, gallery owners, most of whom are sole practitioners lacking heavy machinery or teams of movers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The current invention relates to protective structures for artwork andmore particularly, to a structure that protects flat artwork when beingmoved from one display site to another.

Moving large flat art works, such as framed and unframed paintings, is aperilous activity for the art because they can be chipped, pierced ordented during a move. In some professions, such as real estate staging,artwork is moved to and from many homes during a year. This movinginvolves frequent and repeated exposure to damage. Moving usuallyincludes transport from a warehouse to a home, back to a warehouse andthen out to another house, perhaps twenty times per year. When art isdamaged during moving, it must be replaced, which incurs both time andfinancial loss. Even with the best moving personnel and qualitypractices, wall art is frequently damaged.

There exists a need for a convenient art protection device that islight, mobile, and leaves the artwork visible during a move.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the typical elements of the invention: a lightweight butstrong cage or “crib” to contain flat artwork during transport orstorage. The crib is open at the top to allow insertion and extractionof the artwork. The ladder-like connecting structure central to this andother large embodiments lends stability and strength while allowing thecontents to be immediately visible.

FIG. 2 shows a painting or other fiat artwork contained in the crib.

FIG. 3 shows an extended version of the crib with two pivoting closureshanging open allowing insertion of the artwork. Closer detail of theclosures follows in FIGS. 4 & 5.

FIG. 4 shows a closure device from FIG. 3 again hanging open.

FIG. 5 shows a closure device from FIG. 3 swung up and clipped on theflexible PVC pipe to hold the crib together and keep the artwork fromfalling out during transport. The PVC slip tee in this case is not gluedto the pipe; hence it can rotate.

FIG. 6 shows a crib plus a removable extension designed to createvarious sizes of crib from the same base to accommodate large or smallflat art pieces. The connection is shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 7 shows an expanded view of the connection uniting the removableextension with another part of an art crib in order to gain more heightand capacity for larger art works. A clevis pin is passed throughmatching holes drilled through or formed in PVC pipe standards of thecrib. A cotter pin secures the clevis pin in the holes.

FIG. 8 shows the addition of sections of insulating foam tubing used tocushion the artwork if desired. Any number of colors may be used by theuser to identify size or any other characteristic of the artwork instorage or transit. Other shapes of foam or cushioning material may beadded easily as needed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplatedmodes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. Thedescription is not to be taken in a limiting sense but is made merelyfor illustrating the general principles of the invention, since thescope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

As stated above, moving large flat art works, such as framed andunframed paintings, is a perilous activity for the art because it can bechipped, pierced or dented during a move. The invention claimed heresolves this problem.

Broadly, one embodiment of present invention is a protective art devicewhich provides a light, yet strong, structure around the art withvertical and horizontal pipes. Advantageously, the pipes protect thelarge expanse of canvas from being damaged by piercing or denting. Theedges of canvas and frame are also protected by the structure aroundthem. In one embodiment, the claimed invention is made from polyvinylchloride or “PVC” pipe and connectors, in a sturdy, yet light, design.PVC pipe insulation, which is a tube of foam rubber, is added to certainparts of the crib to cushion the most vulnerable parts of the canvas.When in the device, the artwork is protected from damage during themoving process and even during warehouse storage, if it is kept in itscrib. The crib is especially appropriate to the scale of mostpractitioners of the staging trade, most of whom operate without heavymachinery and often singlehandedly.

The claimed invention differs from what currently exists. The claimeddevice is an improved way of protecting flat art during moving, betterthan a wooden crate of equal strength, because it is lighter and saferto handle. If not moved in a wooden crate, most flat art is moved in thecardboard box it was shipped in when bought. That box, once theprotective single use packing material is removed, does not provideadequate protection for canvas, especially when used repeatedly.

Most existing moving crates and boxes are unsuited to flat artworkbecause they don't protect the vulnerable canvas. They are heavy,opaque, expensive and treacherous. They seldom survive frequent re-useand must be repaired or replaced. The claimed device allows the artworkto be visible, so everyone knows what it is and how to treat itcarefully.

Art can be inserted easily into the claimed device and removed from it,saving time and trouble during the staging process. It is easy to knowwhere the art goes because it is visible. The device is light andmobile, while providing superior protection against damage duringrepeated moving of a piece of flat art. It is made from an inexpensivematerial, PVC pipe. Beneficially, it can be handled easily by a stageror designer who is moving the art, even making it possible to move largepieces of art without professional movers. The device may be reusedindefinitely, saving replacement cost of the art and whatever mechanismis being used to protect it. The result is continued operational costsavings in many areas.

As shown in the embodiments of FIGS. 1-8, the device includes thefollowing components:

-   -   1. Assorted lengths of schedule 40 PVC pipe (½″ and ¾″ nominal        interior diameter)    -   2. 3-way side outlet 90-degree schedule 40 PVC slip fittings (½″        and ¾″ nominal interior diameter)    -   3. Schedule 40 PVC slip tees (½″ and ¾″ nominal interior        diameter)    -   4. Assorted lengths of (#1) pipe with ends cut in a crescent        profile    -   5. Assorted, lengths of foam insulation tubing (½″ and ¾″        nominal interior diameter)    -   6. PVC solvent and primer.

In one embodiment, the (1) PVC pipes are cut to appropriate lengths andfitted into a flat box shape required. Some joints are fastened(cemented) into commercially available pipe joints (2) and (3) usingcommercially available PVC solvents. Other joint where structuralrigidity is not paramount are made by cutting (4) pipe ends in acrescent profile to be cemented permanently to a perpendicular pipe (4).Crossing spacers are made on three sides of the crib using thecrescent-cut sections to support the contents (artwork), while one sideis left open to receive the art. (5) Lengths of foam tubing usually usedto insulate PVC pipe are used at certain places on the box structure toprotect the art.

The (2) 3-way side outlet connectors and (3) slip-tee connectors providethe bulk of the protective structural stability, while the (4)crescent-cut lengths of pipe complete the variable shapes and act asfenders against contact of the art during stacking and transport.

In one embodiment, the device is made by the following steps:

-   (1) Lengths for top pipes are cut, then inserted and cemented into    (2) corner 3-way connectors, which themselves are cemented to one    another with short lengths of (1) pipe. The crib structure is    assembled and cemented with (1) pipe pieces and (4) crescent-ended    cut pieces. The ends of the crib structure are cemented into (3)    slip-tee connectors and fitted with the remaining side pipe pieces.    The assembly is cemented then into the top and bottom (2) corner    3-way connectors. Outsourcing to specialized machinists could    streamline the process.

(1) Pipe, (2) and (3) connectors are necessary as is solvent cement. (4)is necessary for reasons of cost/weight versus strength. (5) 4-way crossconnectors are optional. Substitutions of other basic materials areoptional, but subject again to cost/weight benefit considerations.

It is to be understood that configurations of spacing and design,particularly of size and aesthetics, may be altered to fit customers'needs. Additionally, suggested in FIG. 8, multiple colors of the devicemay be available.

As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 7, the device may include a pluralityof riser mechanisms with pins for increasing the size of the device.

In one embodiment of use, a person who wants to move a piece of flatart, such as a painting, into a home, business or gallery, or who wantsto remove a piece of flat art from somewhere and transport it into awarehouse or storage facility would use the claimed device.

To move the art, the person takes the flat art off the wall where it washanging, slip it into the claimed device at the open side of the crib,then picks the crib up in any way that is comfortable for him or her,and carries it to the moving van to other transport vehicle. In oneembodiment, multiple devices may be stacked in the vehicle on theirsides or on top of each other and keep the art safe within them.

At the other end of the move, the claimed device is removed from thevehicle and carried into the warehouse or wherever the art would bestored. The art could be lifted out of the crib and stored or left inthe crib and stored until next use. If the art were removed from thedevice, the crib may be used to safely move another piece of flat art toanother home, business, or gallery.

The device is designed to be used repeatedly to protect many pieces ofart as they are moved from one installation to another. In the case ofhomes being staged by real estate staging companies, one home stagingjob may require more than 50 pieces of large flat wall art. To be ableto easily and safely move art in and out of installations is a verysignificant challenge and it is met by the device.

In alternative embodiments, the device may be made of any suitable pipematerial instead of or in combination with PVC.

In summary, the device can be used two ways: either to transport andstore each piece of art in an inventory or collection in its owndedicated crib, ready to quickly be identified and moved, or to be oneof a collection of ready-to-use cribs to be matched with pieces of artthat need to be moved. The same device can endlessly be re-used asneeded when the artwork is in place onsite and another site is to befurnished.

The idea of the claimed crib device came from the need real estatestagers have to move large wall art to many homes over the course of ayear, but interior designers and architects who are moving art toinstall in a residence or commercial building more permanently also canuse the device. An art gallery owner who needs to transport art from anartist's studio to the gallery, or to the home of a customer who hasjust purchased it from the gallery, may use the device. Artists workingoutside who want to transport their work with the paint still wet canuse the device. Art conservators who need to transport art toconservation sites can use the device. Students carrying their firstpaintings to class may use the device. Essentially, anyone who wants tosafely transport relatively 2-dimensional art may benefit from theclaimed device.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates toexemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as setforth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device, named an art crib, for protecting arelatively two-dimensional piece of art, comprising a structure formedof a plurality of interconnected piping material, typically PVC orsimilar pipe, that encases and protects the piece of art from crushing,denting and other damage during frequent transport.
 2. A primary designof the crib consisting of two rectangles of matching assembled pipes,connected transversely by shorter spacer pipes creating an opening of aplurality of widths. Matching horizontal ladder-like constructions ofpipe are fixed centrally to the side pipe members of the rectangles toprovide rigidity to the structure as well as physical protection of thecontents. They are not connected to each other internally by spacers inorder to keep clear the space for insertion of the artwork to be stored.3. A method for optionally customizing the size of the crib toaccommodate any size artwork. Each addition retains the top opening forinserting or removing the art piece to be protected. A base unit of theart crib has the top of four uncapped pipes drilled through theirradius. Matching holes are drilled through the bottom of four uncappedpipes of a plurality of extender configurations, whether two simple toppipes or a more reinforced laddered art crib structure. Clevis pins arepassed through the matched holes and secured with cotter pins tocomplete the extension. Removing the cotter pins and clevis pinsreleases the extender unit for future use.
 4. A method for quicklyopening and closing the top transverse connectors to completely confinethe artwork in the crib. The closure consists of a freely turning PVCtee or other pipe connector (not cemented) swiveling on the top-levelpipe of the crib, connected by a short pipe to another tee connector cutlengthwise to clip onto the opposing pipe.
 5. A structure which permitsof attaching cut sections of pipe insulation tubes along the perimeterfor cushioning the contents of the crib. These sections may be ofdifferent colors to assist in sorting or categorizing the cribs eitherby size or by contents.
 6. A structure for assisting the single-handedmovement of a large, relatively two-dimensional piece of art from oneplace to another without heavy machinery or a team of movers.
 7. Astructure that allows artwork to be protected, yet visible, so it can beplaced correctly before installation in a home, business or gallery. 8.A structure that allows artwork to be protected, yet visible, so it canbe stored, efficiently identified and managed in a warehouse or movingvehicle.
 9. A structure which uniquely combines strength, light weight,durability and adaptability for protecting artwork during moving andstorage.